Transcript

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>> Everyday more bodies arrive at the county morgue in Dayton, Ohio. The grim reality of the opioid crisis that's given Montgomery County the unfortunate distinction of logging the most overdose deaths in the country per capita.>> We are full at capacity all of the time.>> So far this year, the county coroners office has processed 385 cases of people who have died from an accidental overdose.

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To put that in perspective, they've already surpassed the 370 for all of last year.>> It's actually somewhat out of control. We've never, and I've been here 40 plus years, experienced the level of daily drug overdoses in my entire career.>> The overwhelming rate at which bodies are coming into the facility has the medical staff struggling to keep up.

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>> They're burned out. Our staff is just plain tired.>> Much of what's fueling the opioid epidemic in Montgomery County is the influx of fentanyl, a cheap but powerful drug that is largely taking the place of heroine.>> Fentanyl is so much more potent than heroine. We've heard addicts tell us they can feel the difference just by touching the needle inside their skin.

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>> The illegally manufactured drug is a synthetic opioid pain medication 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine, according to the CDC.>> Whether it comes from Mexico or in the mail through US mail through China, it's getting here, but they don't know what they're getting.

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It's not FDA approved. It's a chemical compound made up in a clandestine lab somewhere and these people don't know what they're shooting in their veins.>> Authorities in Montgomery County are trying to reverse the deadly trend through community engagement, but know it's a tough sell on the streets for people getting hooked on the potent drug that can cost as little as $5 a pill.